Latest news with #HansKristensen
Miami Herald
08-07-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
US Nuclear Command Plane Seen Flying Over Atlantic
A specialized United States Navy aircraft designed to serve as an airborne command post during a nuclear conflict was spotted flying over the North Atlantic Ocean. Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Navy for comment via email. The E-6B aircraft, also known as Mercury, is designed to serve as a communications relay for the nation's nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines and to facilitate the launch of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to the Naval Air Systems Command. In April, an E-6B aircraft simulated the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, testing its Airborne Launch Control System-which can launch nuclear-capable missiles if ground-based command centers are compromised. The Atlantic Ocean is a major operating area for the U.S. military. Last month, a pair of U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers-USS Gerald R. Ford and USS George H.W. Bush-sailed in formation while conducting resupply operations and ammunition transfers at sea. Citing flight tracking data, TheIntelFrog-an open-source intelligence analyst on X, formerly Twitter-reported spotting an E-6B aircraft conducting flight operations over waters near Portugal's Azores islands on Sunday. The Azores are in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 870 miles west of mainland Portugal. IslandAviation Terceira Azores, a YouTube channel that records takeoffs and landings at Lajes Airport-which is on Terceira Island in the Azores and shares a runway with an air base-uploaded a video on Sunday showing the landing of an E-6B aircraft. The U.S. Air Force describes Lajes Field as the "Crossroads of the Atlantic," serving as a vital mid-Atlantic link for forces traveling to and from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Details of the E-6B aircraft's temporarily deployment from its main operating base at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma remain unclear. In June 2024, trackers showed the Mercury fleet conducting deployments in Norway and the United Kingdom. The aircraft-derived from the Boeing 707 passenger jet-provides the National Command Authority, including the president and the secretary of defense, with what the Navy describes as "survivable, reliable, and endurable" nuclear command, control and communications. Hans Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, wrote on X in June 2024: "The [E-6B] aircraft is designed to provide secure communication link between the U.S. National Command Authority and nuclear ballistic missile submarines. E-6Bs occasionally visit Europe but not often." The War Zone, a specialist outlet, wrote on June 5: "Today, the Mercury fleet supports two critical nuclear deterrence mission sets: a Navy one called 'Take Charge And Move Out' (TACAMO) and an Air Force one referred to simply as the Airborne Command Post (ABNCP), but better known by the nickname Looking Glass." TACAMO involves the relaying of orders to the Navy's ballistic missile submarines, while the Looking Glass mission relays orders to the Air Force's nuclear-capable bombers and silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. The aging E-6B fleet-which includes 16 aircraft in service-is scheduled to be replaced by the newer E-130J aircraft, maintaining a survivable communication link between the National Command Authority and the U.S.'s air-, land- and sea-based nuclear forces. Related Articles McDonald's Announces Breakfast Menu ChangeUS Flexes Air Power With Ally in Contested South China SeaIran Contradicts Donald Trump on TalksIran's Army Gives Missile Update: Thousands Ready to Launch 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Washington Post
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The next nuclear age
Today's nuclear landscape is more precarious than during the Cold War This page lists a series of articles by experts from the Federation of American Scientists, a leading think tank studying the nuclear threat, examining why today's nuclear landscape is more complicated and, in many ways, more precarious than during the Cold War. Part 1 Why we should worry about nuclear weapons again (Cristiana Couceiro/For The Washington Post; Getty images; U.S. Army A.A.F/Library of Congress) By Jon B. Wolfsthal, Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda Over the past 30 years, since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the prospect of nuclear war has faded from the American consciousness. With the end of the Cold War, films depicting the last days of humanity, such as 1959's 'On the Beach,' or the 1983 TV drama 'The Day After,' largely disappeared from the Hollywood playbook. Schoolchildren no longer hid under their desks during practice drills to survive nuclear war. Read more. Part 2 How nuclear war could start (Cristiana Couceiro/For The Washington Post) By Hans Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns and Allie Maloney If a nuclear war happens, it could very well start by accident. A decision to use the most destructive weapons ever created could grow out of human error or a misunderstanding just as easily as a deliberate decision on the part of an aggrieved nation. A faulty computer system could wrongly report incoming missiles, causing a country to retaliate against its suspected attacker. Read more. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Part 3 Only one American can start a nuclear war: The president (Cristiana Couceiro/For The Washington Post; Getty) By Mackenzie Knight-Boyle Three minutes, a football and a biscuit. These are all a president of the United States needs to start nuclear war. During a 1974 meeting with lawmakers, President Richard M. Nixon reportedly stated: 'I can go into my office and pick up the telephone, and in 25 minutes 70 million people will be dead.' He was correct. And since then, despite the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union, little has changed. Read more. Part 4 What's making some countries daydream about nukes again? () By Jon B. Wolfsthal, Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda For 80 years, the United States has invested enormous effort in preventing countries from building nuclear arsenals. It has done so through lengthy negotiations, trade incentives, diplomatic engagement, treaties and, on rare occasions, military force. The recent U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities was aimed at the same goal: stopping Iran from becoming the world's 10th nuclear power. Whether that goal was achieved will not be known for some time. But by bombing now, the United States might have brought about the very thing it was trying to prevent. Read more. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Part 5 How a nuclear attack on the U.S. might unfold, step by step (Cristiana Couceiro/For The/Library of Congress) By Mackenzie Knight-Boyle This article is a hypothetical scenario of the United States responding to an incoming nuclear attack. Though the full nuclear launch process remains classified, many of the harrowing details have been made public via declassified documents and reports from those who have been on the inside. Read more.
South China Morning Post
15-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
China's nuclear stockpile is growing fast, ICBMs may match US, Russia around 2030: SIPRI
China's nuclear arsenal is growing 'faster than any other country' and its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force could potentially match that of Russia or the US by the turn of the decade, a Swedish think tank dedicated to weapons research has said. Advertisement According to the latest yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has added 100 more warheads to its nuclear stockpile each year since 2023. It held at least 600 and that number was expected to 'keep growing over the coming decade', according to a report released on Monday. 'China … has the fastest-growing nuclear arsenal in the world,' the report said. While most of these warheads are thought to be stored separately from their launchers, China could be deploying a small number on missiles, as is done on a much larger scale by the United States and Russia. According to SIPRI's estimate, 132 of the warheads have been assigned to launchers that are still being loaded. Hans Kristensen, an associate senior fellow at SIPRI and director of the Federation of American Scientists' nuclear information project, said there could be several factors behind the rapid warhead build-up, including President Xi Jinping's call that China 'must be a world-class military power by the middle of the century'. Advertisement '[There could have been] an apparent decision that the previous minimum deterrent was insufficient to deter potential adversaries, and possibly a conclusion that increasingly capable US missile defence systems could reduce the effectiveness of the Chinese retaliatory capability,' Kristensen said.
Miami Herald
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Russia's Secret Nuclear Changes Revealed In ‘Huge' Security Breach
Russia has been undertaking a large-scale modernization of its nuclear missile infrastructure for years, according to leaked classified documents cited in a media investigation. The German publication Der Spiegel and Danish investigative group Danwatch, said the secret files showed architectural plans, internal layouts, and procurement records for new military installations and the outlets published satellite imagery they say backs up their claims. The investigation did not clarify to what extent the inner workings of the constructions are as specified by the blueprints. Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) told Newsweek the documents cited by the outlets appear to be construction blueprints. Tom Røseth, a Norwegian military expert who saw some of the documents, told Newsweek their revelations represented "a huge breach of security" for Russia. Newsweek has not independently confirmed the investigation's claims and has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in 2018 the development of new nuclear weapons systems he said would put his country ahead in the arms race with the West. An investigation that says Russia was also conducting a large-scale modernization of the Russian nuclear weapons complex, which Putin did not mention, will add to concerns about the threat Moscow poses. This is salient given the boasts by the Kremlin and its propagandists of Russia's atomic arms capabilities since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The investigation released on Wednesday and reported by Ukrainian outlets and BBC Russian, says Danwatch journalists had obtained more than two million documents concerning Russian military contracts, which were analyzed in collaboration with Der Spiegel. Although Russia tightened laws in 2020 restricting military records, the investigators said they bypassed these measures in 2024 to find blueprints revealing the layout of military sites with strategic nuclear weapons. The documents are said to reveal the modernization program, including renewing old Soviet-era bases and building other facilities from scratch. Images showed new barracks, guard towers, command centers, and storage buildings as well as underground tunnels, the journalists said. They also revealed internal layout of facilities where protective equipment is stored, locations of weapon cabinets and control rooms, and which buildings are connected by underground tunnels, the publications said. Journalists said the documents included blueprints of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces sites in the city of Yasny in the Orenburg region and detailed floor plans for facilities of the 621st and 368th missile regiments. The Yasny site is one of 11 locations from which missiles with nuclear warheads can be launched. The town hosts Russia's Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, according to the journalists. Experts estimate Russia has about 900 strategic nuclear warheads in underground silos. Kristensen, from the FAS, told Newsweek the documents appear to be construction blueprints which open a second layer to open-source intelligence and allow experts to combine satellite imagery observations with identified structures in the images. Røseth, associate professor in intelligence studies at the Norwegian Defence University College, said that while there was a small possibility it could be a disinformation campaign from Russia but the breach "appears to me very credible and the immense scope of it is impressive." "It reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the system," he told Newsweek Thursday, "and also details of the compounds and the nuclear silos." Danwatch and Der Spiegel said they had "gained access to hundreds of highly detailed blueprints showing how Russia is carrying out an enormous modernization of some of the world's most sensitive nuclear weapons facilities." Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) to Newsweek: "The documents open a second layer to open-source intelligence by allowing us to combine satellite imagery observations with identified structures in the blueprints." Tom Røseth, associate professor in intelligence studies at the Norwegian Defence University College to Newsweek: "It's nothing new that you have weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the Russian information system that you can access … But these specific details of nuclear sites are of far more importance." The documents show the extent of Russia's modernization of its strategic nuclear weapons forces is real and will add resonance to any future nuclear threats that Moscow makes. Related Articles Explosion Kills Russian Air Commander Who Lay Siege to Ukrainian CityChina Learns New Lessons From Russia-Ukraine War: ReportNATO Army Chief Sounds Alarm: 'The Threat Is Real'China's Military Presence Grows on Doorstep of New U.S. Partner 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russia's Secret Nuclear Changes Revealed In 'Huge' Security Breach
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russia has been undertaking a large-scale modernization of its nuclear missile infrastructure for years, according to leaked classified documents cited in a media investigation. The German publication Der Spiegel and Danish investigative group Danwatch, said the secret files showed architectural plans, internal layouts, and procurement records for new military installations and the outlets published satellite imagery they say backs up their claims. The investigation did not clarify to what extent the inner workings of the constructions are as specified by the blueprints. Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) told Newsweek the documents cited by the outlets appear to be construction blueprints. Tom Røseth, a Norwegian military expert who saw some of the documents, told Newsweek their revelations represented "a huge breach of security" for Russia. Newsweek has not independently confirmed the investigation's claims and has contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment. This image from May 5, 2024 shows a Russian RS-24 Yars nuclear missile complex during military parade rehearsals in Red Square, Moscow. This image from May 5, 2024 shows a Russian RS-24 Yars nuclear missile complex during military parade rehearsals in Red Square, Moscow. Getty Images Why It Matters Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in 2018 the development of new nuclear weapons systems he said would put his country ahead in the arms race with the West. An investigation that says Russia was also conducting a large-scale modernization of the Russian nuclear weapons complex, which Putin did not mention, will add to concerns about the threat Moscow poses. This is salient given the boasts by the Kremlin and its propagandists of Russia's atomic arms capabilities since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What To Know The investigation released on Wednesday and reported by Ukrainian outlets and BBC Russian, says Danwatch journalists had obtained more than two million documents concerning Russian military contracts, which were analyzed in collaboration with Der Spiegel. Although Russia tightened laws in 2020 restricting military records, the investigators said they bypassed these measures in 2024 to find blueprints revealing the layout of military sites with strategic nuclear weapons. The documents are said to reveal the modernization program, including renewing old Soviet-era bases and building other facilities from scratch. Images showed new barracks, guard towers, command centers, and storage buildings as well as underground tunnels, the journalists said. They also revealed internal layout of facilities where protective equipment is stored, locations of weapon cabinets and control rooms, and which buildings are connected by underground tunnels, the publications said. A major leak exposing Russian nuclear bases has been revealed by investigative journalists from Danwatch and Der Spiegel. The Russian facilities are in the Orenburg region, south of the Ural mountains and near the city of Yasny. The article shows even a fly-through of the… — (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) May 28, 2025 Who's going to tell Putin someone leaked his nuclear secrets online? Good work by Danwork and Der Spiegel to allow the world to see inside Russia's nuclear silos. It's partly 3D interactive so visit the site, but a few screenshots here — Tim White (@TWMCLtd) May 28, 2025 Journalists said the documents included blueprints of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces sites in the city of Yasny in the Orenburg region and detailed floor plans for facilities of the 621st and 368th missile regiments. The Yasny site is one of 11 locations from which missiles with nuclear warheads can be launched. The town hosts Russia's Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, according to the journalists. Experts estimate Russia has about 900 strategic nuclear warheads in underground silos. Kristensen, from the FAS, told Newsweek the documents appear to be construction blueprints which open a second layer to open-source intelligence and allow experts to combine satellite imagery observations with identified structures in the images. Røseth, associate professor in intelligence studies at the Norwegian Defence University College, said that while there was a small possibility it could be a disinformation campaign from Russia but the breach "appears to me very credible and the immense scope of it is impressive." "It reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the system," he told Newsweek Thursday, "and also details of the compounds and the nuclear silos." What People Are Saying Danwatch and Der Spiegel said they had "gained access to hundreds of highly detailed blueprints showing how Russia is carrying out an enormous modernization of some of the world's most sensitive nuclear weapons facilities." Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) to Newsweek: "The documents open a second layer to open-source intelligence by allowing us to combine satellite imagery observations with identified structures in the blueprints." Tom Røseth, associate professor in intelligence studies at the Norwegian Defence University College to Newsweek: "It's nothing new that you have weaknesses and vulnerabilities in the Russian information system that you can access … But these specific details of nuclear sites are of far more importance." What Happens Next The documents show the extent of Russia's modernization of its strategic nuclear weapons forces is real and will add resonance to any future nuclear threats that Moscow makes.
